Thinking in Tandem: Writers of the Road

In 1938, Swedish writer, feminist, and radical pacifist Elin Wägner embarked on a tandem journey with her friend and fellow environmentalist Flory Gate. Purposefully, they followed ‘the bad roads,’ Wägner writes, because biking in uneven terrain made them pause and thus notice what they did not set out to find. Following the uneven trail of Wägner and Gate’s journey, I would like (us) to expand upon the concept of ‘thinking in tandem’ as a feminist tool for collective thought and action in research.
First, I will situate Wägner and Gates’ collaboration as an early example of ecofeminist spatial practice. Secondly, I will share insights from my own tandem fieldwork (planned for spring 2024). Lastly, I will ask the roundtable forum to consider how we can integrate a tandem-thinking ethos into our everyday practices. How can we foster alliances of support in research and beyond when choosing not to follow the straight road, together?